


Failure Isn't An Option

by Tigressa101



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Humor, Boba Being an Innocent Kid, Bounty Hunter Boyfriends, Cad Bane Being Snarky, Cad Bane Is a Bad Sport About It, Canonical Character Death, Fatherhood, First Impressions, First Kiss, First Meetings, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Interspecies Relationship(s), Jango Has a Huge Crush, Little Boba Fett, Love at First Sight, M/M, Playing Hard to Get, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24951598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigressa101/pseuds/Tigressa101
Summary: Jango Fett meets Cad Bane and falls in love, Bane plays Jango's heartstrings, and Boba starts off as just an innocent little 5 year old.
Relationships: Boba Fett & Jango Fett, Cad Bane/Jango Fett
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Failure Isn't An Option

**Author's Note:**

> Jango has his work cut out for him but he won't fail his challenge to win Bane over.

Jango was confident, no he _knew_ he was the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. He always got the best jobs, the best pay, and even the best company for those celebratory nights of victory. Thanks to the efforts of his so far three year contract on a secret “hobby,” he was given the best son a father could want. He believed he deserved the best and he usually got it.

But what about the best companion? He watched several bounty hunters talk as the evening moon glimmered above the balcony in the sky like a large red laser dot from a sniper rifle. There were sufficient hunters like Aurra Sing and Embo here and he considered partnering up with them but they weren’t the best…at the moment. He needed a partner who was nearly as good as him to help with an extremely difficult mission Count Dooku required and the only person worthy of that was whoever was in second place in tally behind Jango himself. That was a person named “Cad Bane” but he had never seen this bounty hunter before yet he knew the reputation of him was an eye catcher. 

Tonight was a get together of all the bounty hunters where Separatist and neutral clients could find the right person for the right job. Nobody knew about it except those who orchestrated it and Count Dooku made sure everyone was protected from potential threats or unwanted visitors. Then again, they were in Separatist space so it shouldn’t be a problem. Every bounty hunter showed up so what were the chances Cad Bane was here too?

This Bane guy squashed several of his records and did something Jango never could, take out the Senator of Naboo who was replaced after death by former Naboo Queen Padme Amidala. The prior Senator was so heavily guarded that it was impossible to get even a mile within range. Cad Bane had somehow pulled it off and claimed a huge bounty from Jabba who wanted the Senator dead after a scuffle in politics. He tried to take the bounty but things got too complicated and he had to regroup to readjust his plans with Kamino’s secret project. It sucked he lost a good pay but he was more than willing to make it up with other jobs, nothing his reputation could be hurt by.

He was very eager to see who Bane was and his son all but gave him a skeptical look, “You seem tired, Daddy.”

“Thanks for pointing that out, makes me feel so much calmer,” he sarcastically remarked with a smirk. 

He scanned the crowd again. He recognized most of the hunters here except for another human woman, a giant droid-looking armored fellow, and a Duros male leaning against a wall with a hat talking to a smaller flight-capable droid. There were a few others he was unsure of their names but who drew his attention the most was the Duros. Slim-build but muscular, a nice outfit to boot, and the scars on his visible face probably made for interesting stories, not that Jango didn’t have some himself.

“Boba, I need you to do me a favor.”

The five year old boy peered at him with the same gorgeous brown eyes he had but with some innocence. The boy held his gloved hand firmly and gave a proud smile that reeked of mischievous intent deep down. Like father, like son.

Jango knelt down and gently grabbed his son’s shoulders, “I need you to go over there to that Duros and make him talk about himself. Ask him who he is, what he’s doing; you know, stuff like that. Can you do that for me?”

“Like an under…underco-ff-er mission, just like you?”

It was cute how the boy pronounced his v’s and Jango chuckled, “Yes, just like me. Remember, don’t mention me and pretend you are alone so he doesn’t get suspicious. Understand?”

Boba nodded gleefully and Jango repositioned him into the direction of the Duros, patting his butt to get him to move along. As Boba got closer to the unknown bounty hunter, Fett moved out of sight to the side of the crowd almost completely out of view of the Duros and activated a device he had on Boba’s person to not only monitor him but listen in on other conversations without blowing his cover. It was a nifty trick he used originally when Boba was two to keep tabs on him in the _Slave I_ while on missions.

The Duros male chewed on a toothpick as Boba approached and the droid he was talking to earlier noticed the kid immediately. 

“I say, aren’t you a little bit small to be a bounty hunter?”

“No,” the boy shook his head as innocent as can be. “I’m tough.”

“Sure fooled me,” scoffed the droid. 

“My name is Boba.”

“Well, I am TODO-360, techno-service droid. Pleased to meet your acquaintance, young Boba.”

“Heh, more like a butler droid to me,” a dark monotone voice spoke.

Both Boba and TODO looked up at the Duros male who pushed his hat up slightly with a fanged smirk. TODO wasn’t happy and sighed, “A butler is not what I am, Bane. You of all people should know that.”

Bane. From a distance away, Jango perked up at the name and bent forward slightly to see the one and only Cad Bane interacting with the droid and peering towards his son. That was Cad Bane. He felt like cheering that he found his best rival in years but kept quiet as his communications device was also a two-way feed and he didn’t want to put his son in any danger considering he didn’t know how Bane would take to spies, even defenseless children.

Boba giggled at the irritation of TODO and didn’t seem intimidated as Bane lifted himself off the wall and stood at his full height, gazing down at the boy. “So tell me, child, why are you at dis party…alone?”

Jango felt a shiver go down his spine from the voice of the fellow bounty hunter. Very pleasant, very sultry and he liked it. However, that admiration was mixed with fear when Bane pointed out his son was “alone.” He didn’t know what Bane meant by that but he kept on edge to jump to his son’s aid if the situation escaladed the wrong way.

“I saw Auntie Aurra and Sugi but I ne-ff-er saw you before. I want to say hi!” Boba waved to emphasize he meant what he said. A natural actor.

The human bounty hunter almost cackled aloud. He had a history with Aurra and Sugi to where he let them in on his son’s life which resulted in them being part of Boba’s family though they weren’t actually related. Aurra hated the title of aunt but Sugi adored Boba enough to not care. They were his backups if anything happened to him just in case. Embo was considered a third option but he didn’t want to be stuck with any children, having lots of siblings to raise drained him.

Cad Bane snorted in amusement and glanced around trying to find where his parents could possibly be, not entirely fooled that Aurra or Sugi brought the boy with them, “So kid, are ya here because you want to be a bounty hunter when you grow up?”

“Please Bane, that’s a little excessive of a question,” TODO huffed.

Boba sucked in his lips, “Yeah.”

Bane gave TODO an “I told you” rise of the brow in which the droid crossed his arms with a noise of disapproval and the Duros crouched down to Boba’s height, “You wanna know a few pieces of advice?”

Nodding, the boy traced the outline of Bane’s face visually and stared deep into the crimson colored eyes. “Why are your eyes red, Mr. Bane?”

The seemingly innocent question made Bane and TODO glance at one another before the former chuckled, “They are red because…they…allow me to see enemies a lot easier. They also add an effect that unsettles most people, allowing me to interrogate them much more efficiently. I can see in much broader spectrums dat help distinguish different things to make my aim nearly flawless, kinda like a built in scope.”

“That’s cool!”

Smiling at how amazed the kid was over half a lie, Bane picked up the child and sat him on his arm. “Dat’s nothing. One tip I have for you for bounty hunting is to never assume your target is easy. There’s no such thing as an easy kill no matter how many people ya ask here say otherwise. There’s always something you need to take into account when you have a target and even though ya might get away with it without meeting said obstacles, it’s always hard work.”

“My daddy says ‘ne-ff-er trust anyone other than yourself.’ He says people are not what they seem a lot.” Boba replied, playing with the rim of the big hat.

So much for not mentioning him. Then again, Jango couldn’t exactly blame him, and at least he wasn’t referred to by name.

“Smart man, your father, and he’s right. The galaxy can be a very cruel place. You wanna be in with the big boys, Boba, ya have to play to win no matter what the cost.” Bane began walking through the crowd to the less populated areas of the balcony.

“I started out like you once, a kid with all the curiosity in the world. My world cast me out and the remaining galaxy was no different so I turned on them and never looked back. My first job was a tryst on Ryloth where I swarmed the outskirts hunting Mal Kerva, a slippery one dat guy was. I did dat job in under a day where no one had succeeded and started my name after dat.”

“Wow, you became a hunter just after you killed a single bad guy?”

“If only he knew…”

Ignoring TODO’s remark, Bane took off his hat and placed it on Boba’s head. It was too large to fit properly so every few seconds, Boba tried to keep it up to see but every time he let it go, it would sink back over his eyes and nose until he gripped it and held it upright. He giggled which was followed by Bane’s own chilling laughter.

“Sure thing kid, I became a hunter after dat mission alone. You can too. When you’re old enough, you are going to make your first mark on the galaxy and that kill is going to set ya up for life.”

Boba was awestruck, “I can be a bounty hunter?!”

“Hmm, you might be the best hunter in the galaxy, well after me of course,” grinned Bane.

Although Jango could roll his eyes for days at that last comment, he couldn’t help but stare at Cad and how gentle he was being with his son. The guy certainly looked like he would kill children at first but he was wrong…maybe. Perhaps it was time to meet with Cad Bane in person now. Hiding his device, he adjusted his armor, helmet, and gloves before cracking his neck. Walking up to Cad Bane was like meeting a secret admirer although it was kind of the opposite as Bane wasn’t admiring him.

“Boba, there you are! I was so worried.” He made a faux sigh in relief. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

Up close, the Duros male had a lot of scars on his lips and incredible sharp fangs that could tear out an enemy’s throat. As he took his hat from Boba and placed it back on his head, the hat itself framed Bane’s face rather nicely and really emphasized the blood red eyes that felt as though they were staring into Jango’s very soul.

“Jango Fett, the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy so I’ve heard. I have had my fair share of research about ya and your reputation but none of it ever mentioned you had a son. Nice kid, by the way,” Bane crudely smirked.

The way the mechanical baritone said his name made him almost blush but he kept his composure as Bane made no resistance in giving Boba back to him.

Boba frowned as he was secured in his father’s arms, “But I thought you were the greatest, Mr. Bane?”

Jango couldn’t help but feel betrayed by that even though he knew the boy was still learning about the bounty hunting career and didn’t mean it in any hurtful way towards his father. He gave a semi-playful side sneer to Boba who didn’t notice and was more interested in fondling his collar material.

“Oh, why yes I am. My mistake,” Bane all but rubbed in Jango’s face with one of the most evil guiltless grins imaginable. It was actually kind of hot.

Biting back, the human chuckled, “Well, records and reputation say otherwise but go ahead and keep dreaming.”

This time Bane held slight annoyance but he tipped his hat in respect. “Who knows what the future holds between us, Fett. There could be changes happening soon dat will make dreams come true, hope dat doesn’t affect our relationship in this business.”

He knew cynicism when he heard it. Bane was out to prove he was the best and Jango knew he had to up his keep to stay ahead with such frivolous competition. 

“Well I would love to stay and chat, but TODO and I need to go meet up with a client from the Hutt family,” Bane growled arrogantly. “It was an _honor_ meeting you, especially the little tyke. Have a good life, kid.”

“Bye-bye, Mr. Bane!” Boba waved.

TODO waved back, “Nice to meet you, Boba.”

“Bye. I like them,” the kid smiled.

Jango didn’t even bother correcting Boba, just gave a quick side glare again. He only transfixed himself onto Bane fully. Even though he could go without Bane’s pride, he admired the bounty hunter definitely. He had seen Duros before but he never found them as appealing until now. Bane was certainly the best other than Jango, and Jango only wanted the best.

From that moment onward, their rivalry took off. Jango would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t in love.

\----------------------------

Cad Bane was not a very easy man to impress. In fairness, Duros as a whole were technological geniuses mostly by default, had stern but teasing personalities, and they were prideful predators upon natural instinct...as a few unexpected bite marks on the arm could attest. They were kind of what many humans wanted to be.

Jango crossed Bane on Ithor in the middle of a capture and although he managed to take the target, all Bane did was raise a brow and scoff when he showed off the Ithorian prisoner. Then there was the time he took on a Dathomirian Nightsister on a forced partnership with Bane who challenged the Duros, and he stepped in front of Bane and won the fight for him. Bane ended up pushing him into the swamp right next to the dead body and strode away with his head held high. Apparently, he didn’t like to be rescued from a fight he could handle himself. Boba had a laugh seeing his father drenched in the vile liquid of the swamp.

There were plenty of other times as well. He roasted his ass on Mustafar trying to catch a bounty for Bane to woo him and got sloppy when he saw the Duros lounging from afar with such casual grace. No less than a week later, he was chased by a Nexu that was released when he accidentally disrupted what he thought was Bane being tortured but it was just a yelling match between him and Poggle the Lesser. He got a few good scars out of that.

He was run over thrice by Weequay pirates who were infatuated with Bane, especially their leader Hondo. Turns out Hondo was in love with Bane from a job years ago, and he wanted to win Bane back but jealousy had never been a high point in Jango’s life until that moment. Jealousy didn’t prevent rash decisions and vehicle paint on his armor, thank you to the pirate who thought it was a good idea to paint their vehicle red.

He was blasted by more than several guards on Rodia after Bane stole something from him and Jango was trying to retrieve it. The Rodians mistook his chase of Cad Bane as assault on a civilian and it went downhill from there. His shoulder took the brunt of the assault. Obviously, he was trying too hard to get Bane but he still loved him.

Now it was him, Bane, Embo, and Aurra listening onto a proposition from the Hutt clan and when he looked at the Duros, he barely got a glance by. The meeting overall was boring and he could do without Jabba being a dick about payment. When Bane looked his way, he winked but the other merely sneered. Bane seemed unfazed and when it ended, he was the first to begin leaving. Seeing his opportunity, Jango ran after Bane.

The Hutt Palace was always grand on the outside but it looked like a bantha yard on the inside. It was sometimes hard to navigate too. He almost lost sight of Cad Bane twice trying to catch up to him.

“Whoa, hold up there! I want to talk to you,” Jango smiled, his helmet in hand.

Cad Bane turned his attention to him with a scowl and narrowed eyes, “Keep doing dis and I’ll kick you out of the first mobile ship we’re on together from dis moment forward. Ever since the first time we met, you’ve been up my ass. Spill it, Fett.”

Jango bit his tongue at that and swallowed abruptly. His next words nearly came out in a cracked voice, “How would you like to be my partner in this next mission Jabba wants done? I’ll split the take fifty-fifty and we’ll blow Aurra and Embo out of the water with our combined efforts. I don’t know if you noticed but we make a really great team. We’ll be unstoppable.”

Bane actually appeared to be contemplating the offer. “Mhmm, the outcomes will almost always be favorable. The run on Dathomir we had, I’ll admit I was a bit uncertain I was going to pull it off had ya not been by my side. As trying as you are, you’re no fool.”

Jango found himself getting a bit too close yet he wasn’t being stopped, or bitten, by Bane yet. “And?”

“Well, don’t think I haven’t noticed your attempts at flattery. I’ll say they don’t suit ya. But I admire your determination. You are quite a bounty hunter; maybe I misjudged you too soon. In fact, I find myself impressed.”

“So is that a yes?” The human spoke in a low tone. 

He was awfully close to Bane to where he could kiss him. Bane apparently realized it too and although he was very hesitant, he made a deep throated purr. “Don’t know, you’re going to have to convince me a bit more, Fett.”

Jango was beginning to lean in and Bane was becoming solemn the closer he came to pressing his lips against the scarred blue ones. He hoped this would lead to where he wanted it to go. The purr never leaving Bane’s throat, they were almost touching-

“What are you doing, Daddy?”

Reeling back, Jango damn near head-butted Bane in shame and inwardly groaned. Borderline cockblocked by a five year old, that wasn’t right. Then he noticed Bane never lost his smirk, it only grew wider. Before he knew it, his helmet was snatched from his grasp and placed on his head abruptly which confused him enough for him to not react in time as Bane suddenly dipped down and used his booster-clad boot to swipe Jango’s legs out from under him. It certainly caught him by surprise and the wind was knocked out of lungs on impact with the gross Hutt-stained ground. 

Bane stood over him with a deadly smile, “I think maybe not this time because you seem to be out of it right now. I’ll be sure to let Jabba know that his favorite bounty hunter is out of commission for a day. It’ll put you back several hours but I’m sure as the galaxy’s greatest, you’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

Jango found he couldn’t move as he was still stunned trying to register what happened. He began to smile a bit underneath his helmet as Bane walked away to pass Boba in the process. He hated the fact that he had a huge hard on from the action.

“Is your father always so easily distracted?” The Duros asked with some humor in his voice.

Boba innocently shrugged, “Sometimes.”

Little traitor. Unaware to the two, Jango was smiling even wider now. 

Petting the top of the boy’s head which made him giggle, an amused Bane responded, “See ya around, kid. Take care of your father. Make sure he isn’t dead first.”

Boba walked up to his father and grimaced, “Are you dead?”

“Yeah and my spine is too…ow,” Jango hissed.

He didn’t expect his son to give a single nod and pet his helmet. “It will be okay.”

Then Boba walked past him and he was left dumbfounded. “W-wait, you aren’t going to help your old man up?”

“You said you were dead,” the kid shrugged, this time gesturing with his arms and giving Jango a mild expression of pity.

The bounty hunter sighed and decided to just rest his head on the floor instead. It was going to be a long mission.

\----------------------

Having a crush on a fellow bounty hunter added so much more danger in life, and Jango was addicted to the prospect of forbidden love. His enemies, if they found out, wouldn’t hesitate to go after Bane to weed Jango out of hiding for personal vendettas. Funnily enough, Bane didn’t chew him out on it. The Duros instead seemed to like the challenge as it gave him a reason to kill people, making the human awe at such bloodlust. Seeing Bane covered in blood of a Rodian loan shark who wanted to kill Jango over a petty ship made his heart skip several beats. That took care of the Rodian, took care of a debt, and gave him something worth jacking off to in his rare privacy.

Watching Bane from afar as he talked to an Ithorian bartender, Jango sighed and tapped the building’s roof in impatience.

“Daddy, do you like Mr. Bane?”

He almost forgot Boba was with him and he abruptly set the electrobinoculars down. Boba’s purity on the subject resulted in Jango’s face turn bright red before coughing, “W-well, I do have a…uh…high regard for him definitely. Let me ask you a question, Boba. Do _you_ like Cad Bane?”

The kid gave an admirable look, “Yeah but I wish he would stay with us more. He is cool!” 

As Bane left the bar, apparently done getting his information, Jango frowned a little, “I wish so too, son.”

Suddenly, his comlink buzzed and he glanced at it worried. It was either Bane or the client for the mission he was supposed to be doing here on Coruscant before he got sidetracked. He regretted his decision to answer when it was the latter. 

“Alright, Boba, I need you to stay here with the _Slave I_. Hide in the ship and lock it down if you see anybody suspicious, can you do that for me?”

Boba nodded. “Good boy, now your old man is going to cause a bit of trouble so stay alert.”

As soon as Jango walked off, he felt Boba was safe for now but if something went wrong, he hoped his son knew what to do and who to get ahold of.

Boba, on the other hand, watched his father leave with a neutral expression. When the man was out of sight, he waited and peered down at the streets below for several minutes. Coruscant was always so busy even in the twilight hours. After a while, he yawned and climbed up the slanted roof up to where the ship rested. He knew his father had to eventually return, dads don’t leave forever…

“Well, well, look what we have here, mate. A little human,” a Weequay male spoke with venom hidden under his amusement. 

Boba froze with unsure eyes as he stumbled onto the dock platform. He quickly glanced at the ship and noticed two other men, one human and one Zygerrian inspecting it. They both turned to look at the kid and gave very dark smirks.

“Oi, little one, what are you doing all alone up here with a nice ship like that, huh?” The Weequay chuckled.

“I-It’s my daddy’s. I’m watching it for him.”

The fear in Boba’s voice made all three strangers laugh. “Really? And why did your ‘daddy’ leave you all alone, hmm? Your daddy might not happen to be _Jango Fett_ now would he?”

This time the kid remained quiet and kept his quivering limbs close to his body. 

“No answer, boy? Heh, guess that gives it away quite nicely,” the Zygerrian snickered before grabbing the back of Boba’s tunic and lifting the boy up to meet his face. He bared his teeth aggressively, “I wonder what Jango would pay to have you back. We thought we recognized his ship landing, and we just had to see for ourselves if it was him but instead there’s you and the ship. We have some payback for dear Jango but you’ll do.”

Boba was now shaking but showed no tears. Bravely, he yelled, “My daddy’s gonna rip your sleemo heads off!”

“You little brat, that’s a naughty word for someone your age! Your old man should have taught you some manners!”

Angered, the Weequay was about to strike him when the sound of blaster fire emitted from behind and he froze, lip quivering and eyes dilating. Boba watched in fascination as he looked his would-be attacker in the eyes and watched the light in them fade. The body slumped to the ground lifeless. Both the human and the Zygerrian attempted to reach their weapons, the latter dropping the kid in the process, but both instantly felt the shock of the piercing blasts and their lives were taken in a parsec.

Boba scrambled a bit backwards to avoid getting crushed by the bodies but then he saw his savior and smiled. “Mr. Bane!”

“Please, child, just call me Bane. The mister part doesn’t suit me,” the Duros huffed with his own diabolical smirk. He blew the smoke from the muzzle of his blaster pistol and twirled it in his hand before setting it into its holster on his hip.

Bane was taken by surprise when Boba latched onto his leg, hugging it. He awkwardly looked around to see if anyone was nearby. He was a feared bounty hunter so a kid hanging off his leg would make his enemies mock him for being too soft…not that he didn’t kind of like it nor would he admit it out loud.

“You know, my daddy likes you a lot,” Boba spoke, peering up at the Duros.

That made Bane stare down at him before a mischievous look crept onto his face, “Oh really? And…what else does your father think about me?”

He picked Boba up and walked across the platform slowly, listening intensely but keeping a lookout for any potential danger.

“I heard him tell one of his friends that he wants to wrestle with you. He wants to hug you and kiss you and wants you to stay o-ff-er more. I asked him if we could keep you and his face turned a different color,” the boy giggled.

Bane’s amusement was rising and he was going to grind Jango’s pride to the ground with this new information. He couldn’t hide the slight blush at the indication of what Jango really wanted but this was pure gold. Who knew the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy was losing his goddamn mind over someone like Bane. He felt proud that he was a target of desire.

“I want you to stay too.”

Redirecting his attention from his thoughts that were about to dive head first into the deepest gutters imaginable to the guiltless boy sitting on his arm, Bane was caught off guard by that. “What do ya mean?”

“You’re nice and funny and make my daddy and me happy when you’re around,” Boba gleamed. “You are my friend, aren’t you?”

Speechless, Bane swore he could feel what was left of a heart ache beneath his thick skin. He never felt this way about anybody except his mother, but children were brutally honest and that was as brutal as it got to the realization that someone wanted him around for more than just a job. He swore never to make attachments because they would eventually lead to pain but he couldn’t help himself. He liked the kid and he liked Jango. 

In fact, there was a taste of jealousy in there too for what Jango could do and had but he couldn’t. Overall though, he found the human’s attempts at pleasing him rather adorable. It was like a bad mating ritual Jango tried by impressing him with captured bounties and unrequited saves. What was funny was that he wouldn’t tell Jango that they were working. Everything the man did attracted Bane and his son’s feeble attempts to hide the already obvious crush made everything cuter. He couldn’t blame the boy for not holding that secret down, but the kid proved what he theorized all along. Jango loved him and he was falling for Jango.

Bane licked his lips timidly, “I…yes.”

“You mean it?”

Looking the kid in the eyes made him shake slightly. “Yes, I do.”

Suddenly, Boba hugged his neck almost making Bane lose his composure there and then…until he heard a faint click. Red eyes opened wide, he immediately whipped out his blaster pistol and ducked in a flash behind the front of the _Slave I_ with Boba held close. His fangs clenched together and he kept his hearing sharp for anything. 

“What’s wrong, Bane?” The kid asked softly.

“Hush, child. We have unwanted company.”

“Daddy!” 

Bane quickly looked at the boy and noticed he was looking up, and when he trailed it, he found a blaster right in his face from above. It was Jango, the only bounty hunter capable of outflanking him. He shouldn’t be surprised. Knowing how protective Jango was of his son, he let go of Boba but still kept eye contact with the blue and silver Mandalorian helmet that peered down upon him with distaste.

Bane cleared his throat, “I wasn’t doing anything dat was going to put your son in danger.”

Jango hopped down but kept his gun locked onto him, “Of course not. The dead bodies wouldn’t betray you, would they? I trusted you.”

“Easy Fett, it’s not what ya think,” the Duros all but gulped.

This didn’t seem to suspend the human’s defense but then Boba began tugging on his father’s pant leg. “Wait, don’t shoot him! He sa-ff-ed me from those sleemos!”

“Hey, hey, youngling, watch your mouth. Dat’s a very bad word for you to be saying, but I think I know where ya got it from,” Bane winked.

Jango was surprised Bane would do what he was about to but shot the other bounty hunter a snarl for being called out on an accidental verbal slip up he had a few times on jobs. “Y-yeah Boba, please don’t say that. That’s not appropriate.”

Boba stuck out his tongue and said, “How come you guys get to say it?”

“Because we’re adults, that’s why,” Jango laughed as he lowered his weapon. “Bane, thanks for…um…saving my son. I really appreciate it. How can I repay you?”

“Well for starters, maybe you could take off your helmet so I can see your face.”

Obeying, Jango set his helmet on the wing of the _Slave I_ and put his weapon away. 

“Daddy?” Boba spoke, “You said you wanted to kiss him, he’s right there so why don’t you repay him that way?”

An entertained Bane met the swiftly widened eyes of Jango and the latter began to stutter, “Uh, w-well that’s not-that’s not appropriate to say either, Boba. That’s more of a-”

“But you kiss me goodnight before bed all the time,” the kid pressed, oblivious to the growing embarrassment of his father.

“That-that is not the same as-!”

“Yeah Fett, why don’t you kiss me goodnight too? Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted to do? Kiss me, hug me, and _play_ with me? I’m thinking of heading off to bed myself,” Bane chuckled darkly.

Blushing harder than ever, Jango wanted to just die between his son’s naivety on the situation and Bane’s mockery of it. He knew what Bane was talking about and he knew the conversation Boba revealed to the Duros. It was a meeting with a very old friend of his who could be trusted with even his darkest secrets, and Boba must have snuck in to hear him explain his urges to _fuck_ Cad Bane. Oh mistress fate, can thou not be a cruel bitch for five fucking minutes?

He only blinked and Bane had moved somehow closer to where their chests touched without him realizing it. The purring reptilian sound the Duros made had returned as well. 

“So I’m quite curious, Fett. What exactly did ya want to do to me? Care to demonstrate?”

Jango slowly gripped the slim but muscular waist borderline dipping lower into uncharted territory which Bane didn’t shy away from. He pressed him flush against his body before he said in a sultry voice, “With pleasure.”

He could feel Bane squeezing his upper arm as they both began to lean-

“You’re supposed to kiss him on the cheek,” Boba interrupted.

Oh this kid. “Boba, just go to the ship please!”

“Okay, I’m just trying to help!”

Jango glared towards the _Slave I_ until he saw Boba disappear, not losing his grip on the man he desperately wanted to share a moment with. As soon as it was confirmed the kid wasn’t coming back, he immediately caught Bane’s lips in a harsh but caring kiss. It certainly shook Bane, but the Duros gave in as quickly as lightning struck Kamino. 

The texture of Bane’s lips was indeed scarred but the roughness wasn’t unpleasant for Jango. It was welcoming. Every scar told a story and he could only imagine what the ones he could feel came from. The kiss grew intense and he winced a few times when Bane’s teeth nicked some skin, not that it really bothered him other than the fact that it was bleeding. When they broke the kiss, Bane instinctively licked the human’s blood off the edges of his lips which made Jango incredibly hard.

“I have to confess something, Fett,” Bane abruptly said. Jango merely stared at him, still heated by the moment.

“Everything you did from the very first time I met ya to now, I actually fell in love with you and your dumb ass schemes. I was too proud to admit it but you’ve stolen my heart.”

The human narrowed his eyes in disbelief, “So wait, those stunts I pulled on Mustafar and all that…that all worked? Here I was thinking I wasn’t successful at pleasing you but here you are.”

“Yes, ya won me over, you and your cute brat. He told me ya wanted me to stay. A life of a bounty hunter of course has no solid outcomes in relationships, at least not enough to make me stay forever, but I’m willing to take a chance. Mainly for Boba because he asked so nicely, you’re an extra bonus,” Bane smugly responded.

“Funny. By the way, do all Duros draw blood during intimacy?”

Bane smirked, “Maybe, but we aren’t wusses about it when we do.”

“I ain’t no wuss, Bane,” Jango growled, keeping the Duros close.

“Hmm, then why don’t ya prove it? I dare ya,” said Bane, a low hiss escaping deep from his throat.

Just then, Jango activated his communicator, “Hey Aurra, you’re still on Coruscant right? You wouldn’t mind taking Boba for the night would you?”

_“I have nothing planned until tomorrow afternoon so it shouldn’t be a problem. Where should I meet you?”_

“Roof top of the Skylight Hotel, across from the Senate building.”

_“I’ll be there in two minutes with Sugi.”_

Jango then spoke to Bane, “You can wait two minutes, can’t you?”

“You have three minutes before I kick the kid out, drag ya onto dat ship, and tear dat Mandalorian crap off you,” he snarled before bringing Jango back in for hard kiss.

\----------------------------------

Aurra and Sugi both stared at the scene as they approached. Cad Bane had Jango fucking Fett pressed against his own ship exterior, dead bodies littering the rooftop, and they were kissing with no intent on giving an explanation as to why this was.

“Do you think we should just get the boy and leave?” Sugi asked.

Aurra eyed them suspiciously and gave a brief nod. Jango managed to acknowledge their presence by a mere glance but he went right back to Bane in a heartbeat.

“Let’s go.”

Sugi was the first into the ship and spied Boba who sat bored on one of the beds. “Hey kid, we’re here to pick you up. Your father needs to be alone tonight.”

Boba glanced at her funny, “Why?”

“Be…cause he needs to talk to Bane privately.”

“Why?”

Aurra behind her grew a bit impatient and spoke up, “We are not going to be the ones to give him the Talk. Come on, you’re staying with us for the night. Your dad’s going to get you tomorrow morning.”

Boba shrugged, “Okay Auntie Aurra, Auntie Sugi.”

Picking up the tyke, Sugi made sure Boba’s attention was focused primarily on her and not the scene on the side of the _Slave I_. Both she and Aurra, however, were almost laughing their asses off at the mere concept. They couldn’t leave fast enough though.

\------------------------------

_Two hours later…_

Jango never felt so relieved after all of that trouble to get one fellow bounty hunter in his bed. He doubted Bane would appreciate another round without his permission but he could live with that as he lied panting with said Duros on chest purring once more.

He said he deserved the best because he was the best, and he certainly got it. That had to be the best orgasm he had, not to mention the best sex in general. Everything was snapping into place the way he wanted and he couldn’t be happier. He definitely found his companion and hopefully, it stayed that way.

“Cad, can I ask you something?”

“Mhmm,” Bane mumbled, his eyes closed but he was still awake.

Jango held him close with one arm while the other was underneath his pillow. “What do you think about us?”

“Us?” The Duros slowly pondered, “I think we’re both morons for doing dis, but you’re my idiot and I don’t plan on giving up on us yet.”

“Neither am I,” Jango smirked. He didn’t mind being called a moron because Bane was technically right. He was a happy moron at least. “So are you going to stay?”

“We’ll see, Fett. I’m not one for domestication though I’ll be sure to visit you and the kid. I’ve grown to like the little brat, he takes after his father.”

They both shared a glance at one another before Jango perked up, “I don’t know about you but I’m still hard. You think you can go another round?”

Bane scoffed, “Is dat a challenge? You can’t be a bounty hunter without stamina. I could do dis all night. Then again, I should have known you humans think with your dicks more than your brains.”

Jango flipped them so he was on top with Bane growling playfully. The human merely chuckled, “I didn’t hear you complain the first time or the second. Third time’s a charm.”

Duros had very wicked smiles when they wanted something because Jango knew that look and he saw the fangs ready to strike. The bite marks were tolerable but what could he expect, mating with someone as deadly as Cad Bane? It was kind of like an initiation of respect and approval. It was the mark of a job done successfully.

\-------------------------------

Over the years, their relationship was a mixture of pain and pleasure which made Bane ecstatic because that was where the fun lied. It was like a chase that never ended on and off missions. Sometimes one of them was gone for months and the reunion resulted in great sex and wonderful memories. He couldn’t say he regretted his choice to return Jango’s affections because he really didn’t; it had been the best decision he ever made.

There were arguments that were inevitable but Jango, being the smooth talker he was combined with a horny on main personality just for Bane, always made the outcomes worth it. They made it work. They always returned to one another. The effort Jango put in to impress him even after winning his heart was only one point shy of overkill but he could appreciate the over-the-top scenes of Jango getting into muddy situations just for him too.

Boba was like a son to him though he refused to acknowledge it to any enemies and most of their friends. He never thought about having children nor did he originally want them, but Boba proved compatible and started becoming wise to the bounty hunter ways he and his father were the best at. The kid was going to go far, Bane knew that much. 

Jango and Boba came to him or he came to them like one messed up bounty hunter family. Of course, Boba still thought they were _just_ friends. Jango promised it was always going to be like this and Bane believed him. Jango promised to always return.

Until one day he didn’t.

Cad Bane wasn’t a stranger to loss. People died every day, but that particular day when he waited several hours for Jango’s return from Geonosis only to see Aurra Sing and Boba in the _Slave I_ , he knew what had happened and nothing felt worse. He could only stare into the teary eyes of the son of the human he loved and accept it. It was one of the only times he outwardly grieved with and comforted Boba with a hug as a parental figure.

With the war between the Republic and the Separatists growing bolder, he found his jobs and his credibility rose without Jango in the picture. He had no choice but to move on, to survive for lingering emotion was very deadly to a bounty hunter of his caliber. 

Boba was given to Aurra to protect and he hoped she fulfilled her promise to watch him. Bane would do it himself but it was too painful to see the growing boy shape into his father. The clones the Republic used also put a dent in his feelings. Seeing so many copies of Jango damn near drove him insane several times, not that he would let any colleagues or employers know how it tore him up inside. Boba would only tip that.

He hated himself for abandoning the boy, even when he promised 6 year old Boba he wouldn’t leave. It seems that promises were meant to be broken lately. But it was for the better. He would only influence Boba’s hatred even more and who knows where misdirected anger could lead to. Jango probably would have kicked him in the ass for leaving Boba. Maybe.

Bane overlooked Coruscant on the same Skylight rooftop he shared his first kiss with Jango. It almost made him shed a few tears at the thought but he pushed it to the back of his mind. Now wasn’t the time to get sentimental.

“I remember you saved my life up here and my father was very grateful for what you did.”

With a toothpick in his mouth, he simply glanced unimpressed over at the kid who now placed a boot on the lower railing of the fence bordering the rooftop. The kid, however, wasn’t a kid anymore. Boba was a teen and already donning bounty hunter-like equipment and armor. He gave him props for making it this far into the game. 

“Yes, dat was a favor I passed forward to your father. He was a great friend of mine. You’re beginning to look just like him, I see,” Bane replied, hiding the grief of seeing Jango’s mirror image reflecting off of Boba.

The young man laughed, “I’m no fool, Bane. I know what you and Dad were. It took me until a couple months before Windu killed him to realize you were in love.”

It hurt to hear Jango’s death out loud but it didn’t prepare Bane for Boba’s growling response, “I wonder though, why did you leave me when he died?”

Bane stood straight up and sighed, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh really?” Boba fussed angrily, “What’s there to understand? You loved him but you didn’t love me? You knew I was alone but you couldn’t face the pain so instead of being there for me, you ran and left me behind!”

The Duros quickly retaliated, “No, dat isn’t what it was! I…hated myself for leaving ya. I cared for ya more than anybody could ever know. I left you because I…I…” 

Whatever Bane was thinking of vanished in his clouded mind. He didn’t know what to think of anything anymore. “I failed you.”

They met each other’s eyes and all the sadness between them was understood.

“I wanted to raise ya myself but I couldn’t bear to see you grow into the man I know you’ll become. You’re like your father in every sense and I can’t stand dat. I was too afraid I would fail ya again and I knew instantly after dat day I wasn’t what ya needed. Aurra would train you better than I could. Attachments like mine would have gotten us both killed and I couldn’t risk dat. Call me a coward, a liar, or a failure but I did what I thought was right at the time, out of a moment of uncertainty that I was ever able to replace your father. Aurra knew him longer than I did…I assumed she knew best.”

Boba sniffed, rubbing his nose. He shook his head, “You aren’t a failure. I just wanted to know why you weren’t there. How do you think you failed me?”

Bane spoke slowly, “I didn’t go with your father when he asked me too. If I had, maybe he would still be alive.”

“What?” The teen asked in a confused tone.

“Jango asked me to come with him to Geonosis with him and you. I declined because I had work to finish with Hondo’s pirates on Florrum. He promised to meet me back here on Coruscant, and I assumed he would. Had I gone with him, things would have been different but I didn’t know it would end like dat.”

“Neither did I,” Boba frowned. “I miss him a lot. I honestly don’t blame you at all. Nobody could have known. The only person I blame is the Jedi who killed him and he’ll eventually pay. I’ve done a lot in my power to kill him. I have yet to but I’ve been getting close.” 

They just stared down at the city lights and the citizens wandering below. Boba’s smile kind of faded when he looked back at Bane and the same occurred with the latter.

“You said once ‘you have to play to win no matter what the cost.’ When it comes to bounty hunting, you don’t have real friends, do you? When you told me that, did you mean that someday you and I will be rivals and we’ll have to fight each other?” The human grimaced.

“Being a bounty hunter is survival above all. As much as I care for ya, the cost will overweigh any attachments I have and you want. When it comes time, failure will not be known and success will be the only thing ya have left in life. There may be a day when we cross paths and only one of us leaves alive,” Bane huffed, locking eyes with the boy before him, “the only thing you will be able to do is win.”

Boba nodded respectfully at him and both of them continued looking on. Bane wasn’t lying. He knew one day they would not be anything but rivals. He would have to kill the man he loves’ son or be killed himself. If Boba was anything like his father, and he was, he would succeed where Jango left off. 

“I understand what you meant now.”

The Duros male looked at him strangely with a raised brow.

The teen merely chuckled, “‘There’s no such thing as an easy kill.’ Windu will die and I’ll make sure of it. With every failure I have, I’ll learn something new. I’ll adapt from it and I’ll go again. I’ll be the best damn bounty hunter in the galaxy…just like you, maybe better.”

Bane found a smile forming on his face and he slung an arm over Boba’s shoulder, bringing him in close. “You know, kid, you’re already making your father proud. You also have his brash personality, I can tell.”

“Is it his though? I thought I learned it from you,” Boba smugly replied.

“Brat,” he laughed.

The best bounty hunter in the galaxy had the best son he could ask for.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, decided to switch to Bane's feelings at the end and it turned dark. I love the Jango/Bane relationship so much. Gay dads and their son terrorizing the galaxy underneath the Republic's noses. In all honesty though, I kind of chickened out on the sex scene because I have no idea how Bane's anatomy was going to work out though now that I think about, it wouldn't be too different from human biology would it?
> 
> Also you cannot tell me that Jango didn't use his son for the classic "reel in the babe" tactic. Like little Boba was always sent to people of interest knowing they more than likely would fall in love with the tyke and then he would slide into their DM's like "hey, I'm the kid's father, thanks for finding him, wanna go on a date?" And it would always work. I mean he could probably pick up dates and such even before but Boba was a guaranteed lure.


End file.
